Forget Miami. Ferrari must quickly turn the page and erase the memory of a trip that can leave harmful waste if it is not adequately dissected. The photograph sent from Florida is merciless: Charles Leclerc’s SF-23 equipped with the first important modifications (a new bottom that revolutionizes the flows in the Venturi Canals, waiting for the new bellies to arrive) was not able to keep up with the pace of the Haas by Kevin Magnussen.
The Monegasque with the evolutionary package had to stay behind the car made by Simone Resta which is just a small update to the pavement of the fund. Ferrari against “Ferrarina” with the same power unit. The confrontation was embarrassing for the Scuderia, which believes it is laying the foundations for the relaunch that should start at Imola and finish in Barcelona.
Charles Leclerc’s resigned look after seventh place in Miami
Photo by: Ferrari
If we stop at the image of the first stint of the race, the considerations to be drawn are bleak: all the novelties are thrown away and, rather than chasing the growth of the SF-23, it is better to take a blank sheet to start drawing the first lines of the single-seater 2024. The reality, luckily, wasn’t in such apocalyptic terms, because Ferrari was caught off guard by a new asphalt and the Maranello technicians understood nothing, absolutely nothing.
The deliberation work in the simulator for a race is done taking into account the asphalt data that the FIA sends to the teams according to a well-defined script. The American organizers, however, changed the cards on the table, redoing the surface outside the regulatory terms and those who, like Ferrari, brought new solutions, lost the thread of development.
Red Bull, Aston Martin and Mercedes have not introduced any changes (on the “verdona” there was only better cooling of the Mercedes power unit), while Ferrari has bet on the anomalous American track to start discovering the long-awaited innovations.
![Ferrari SF-23, detail of the new Venturi channels that debuted in Miami](https://cdn-9.motorsport.com/images/mgl/0ZRK5EN0/s1000/ferrari-sf-23-sidepods-details-1.jpg)
Ferrari SF-23, detail of the new Venturi channels that debuted in Miami
Photo by: Jon Noble
On balance it was a mistake, but it’s easy to say in retrospect: the engineers headed by Enrico Cardile didn’t want to introduce too many changes to Imola, for fear of not being able to discriminate what worked from what, possibly, was wrong. An act of courage promoted by Fred Vasseur that sent the Maranello team into crisis.
Sergio Perez, the author of the pole position with Red Bull, still at the end of FP3 admitted that he didn’t understand anything about setting up the car, only to put his RB19 in front of everyone. At Milton Keynes they have streamlined the data just as Aston Martin and Mercedes have done. In particular, the Brackley staff was able to extract the maximum from the W14 which is about to be “scrapped”, putting the black arrow back in front of the red one. That’s all to say…
In short, the Scuderia we saw in action in Miami was a team that lost its “ball”. Sainz’s fifth place and Leclerc’s seventh do not reflect the potential of the SF-23 which, continuing its growth path, should have confirmed itself as the first pursuer of the Red Bulls.
![Charles Leclerc's Ferrari SF-23, after the accident in Q3 of the Miami GP](https://cdn-4.motorsport.com/images/mgl/2jX9jnq6/s1000/the-crash-damaged-charles-lecl-1.jpg)
Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari SF-23, after the accident in Q3 of the Miami GP
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
It is evident that in America the bank has been skipped: the machine deliberately in the simulator has been wrong and a common denominator has never been found to make it work decently. Vasseur admitted that there wasn’t just a problem with tire wear, but a variation in the behavior of the car from one lap to the next.
Sainz defended himself with the medium tires in the first stint and got into trouble with the hard ones, the exact opposite of what happened to Leclerc. The Monegasque tried to take the set-up to extremes to seek performance at least in the flying lap (more camber and stiffer set-up) and the redhead slammed it twice, while the Spaniard with more conservative solutions defended himself better, but without major sharp.
Miami was a great lesson for the Cavallino because it highlighted deficiencies that are not only technical related to the car, but also in the organization of work between home and the track and more generally in the management of the race weekend. This year’s single-seaters are proving to be very complex in setting up and are difficult to interpret: Ferrari doesn’t seem to be doing its best in extracting everything that is in the SF-23, a red “crazy” in behavior capable of leading those who work there astray.
![Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23](https://cdn-1.motorsport.com/images/mgl/0k7R5DK0/s1000/carlos-sainz-ferrari-sf-23-1.jpg)
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz / Motorsport Images
The operating window of the car, even more than that of the tyres, seems too narrow: Ferrari is very “pitch sensitive”. As the height from the ground varies, it loses a lot of aerodynamic load. To turn sideways it would be necessary to aim for very rigid set-ups, but then you have to deal with pumping (how much bottoming for Leclerc!) and on the curbs, especially when changing direction, the redhead jumps like a grasshopper.
The problem is not only of an aerodynamic nature: it is no coincidence that at Imola we will see a specially revised rear suspension to offer more tuning options. One fact is clear: this Ferrari has not yet found the fateful zero point from which to start development. And the Miami disaster added to the chaos. Now you need a cool head and lucidity…
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